Husband and wife plead guilty in embezzlement case

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- An Overland Park, Kan., woman pleaded guilty Friday to embezzling about $2 million from her employer. She and her husband pleaded guilty to money laundering in the same case.

Tamie J. Gordon, 42, and Ronald E. Gordon, 38, pleaded guilty in separate hearings before U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner in Kansas City, said U.S. Attorney Todd Graves.

Tamie Gordon was indicted in February with embezzling the money from Print Time, Inc., in Leawood, Kan., between January 1996 and Feb. 10, 2003.

Her husband, Ronald Gordon, who is self-employed and trades golf clubs on eBay, was indicted on the money laundering charge.

She embezzled the funds from Print Time by writing checks on the company's operating account, which were deposited into the joint accounts of her and her husband. Tamie Gordon also admitted to making unauthorized wire transfers from the company's operating account to the co-defendants' joint checking and savings accounts.

Tamie Gordon concealed her theft by destroying the false and fraudulent checks, making false entries in the company expense account records, and using journal entries to spread out the amount embezzled among other expense accounts, prosecutors said.

The couple will be required to forfeit all property obtained through the scheme, including $2 million in cash, a home in Overland Park, a vehicle and other property.

Tamie Gordon faces a sentence of up to 40 years in prison without parole and Ronald Gordon could be sentenced to up to 10 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000 or twice the financial gain. Sentencing hearings have not been set.